From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A composite image of the Old Man of the Mountain created from
images taken before and after the collapse.

The reverse of the state quarter of New Hampshire features the Old
Man of the Mountain, alongside the state motto 'Live Free or
Die'.

The Old Man of the Mountain, also known as the
Great Stone Face or the
Profile,[1] was
a series of five granite
cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in the
White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA that, when
viewed from the correct angle, appeared to be the jagged profile of
a face. The outcrop was 1,200 feet (370 m) above Profile Lake, and
measured 40 feet (12 m) tall and 25 feet
(7.6 m) wide. The site is located in the town of Franconia.

The first recorded mention of the Old Man was in 1805. It
collapsed on May 3, 2003.[2]

Contents

History

The formation was carved by glaciers and was first recorded as being
discovered by a surveying team circa 1805. The official state
history says several groups of surveyors were working in the Franconia Notch
area at the time and claimed credit for the discovery.

Face-like stone formations are common around the world. The Old
Man was famous largely because of statesmanDaniel Webster, a New
Hampshire native, who once wrote: "Men hang out their signs
indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a
gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out
a gold tooth; but up in the Mountains of New Hampshire, God
Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men."

U. S. stamp issued in 1955.

The writer Nathaniel Hawthorne used the Old
Man as inspiration for his short story "The Great Stone Face,"
published in 1850, in which he described the formation as "a work
of Nature in her mood of majestic playfulness."

The profile has been New Hampshire's state emblem since 1945. It was
put on the state's license plate, state highway-route signs,
and the back of New Hampshire's Statehood Quarter,
which is popularly promoted as the only US coin with a profile on
both sides. Before the collapse, it could be seen from special
viewing areas along Interstate 93 in Franconia Notch State Park,
approximately 80 miles (130 km) north of the state's
capital, Concord.

Collapse

Defying attempts at preservation, including the use of cables
and spikes for most of the 20th century, the formation collapsed to
the ground between midnight and 2 a.m., May 3, 2003.[2]
Centuries of wind, snow, and rain, as well as freezing and thawing cycles, finally
caught up with the profile. Dismay over the collapse was so great
that people left flowers at the base of the cliffs in tribute; some state legislators sought to
change New Hampshire's state flag to include the
profile; and many people suggested replacing the Old Man with a
plastic replica — an idea that was quickly rejected by an official
task force headed by former Governor Steve Merrill. On the first anniversary
of the collapse, the task force unveiled coin-operatedviewfinders near the base
of the cliff. Looking through them shows how the Old Man used to
appear.[2]

On February 7, 2007, plans were announced at the New Hampshire
State Library for an Old Man of the Mountain memorial, to include
five huge stones that, viewed from a raised platform, merge into a
form that recreates the profile outline. It is being overseen by
Friends of The Old Man of The Mountain/Franconia Notch[3], a
committee that succeeded the Old Man of the Mountain Revitalization
Task Force. The Legacy Fund is a private 501(c)(3) corporation with representatives from
various state agencies and several private nonprofits.[4]

1955 — President Dwight D. Eisenhower visits the
profile as part of the Old Man's 150th "birthday" celebration.

1965 — Niels Nielsen, a state highway worker, becomes
unofficial guardian of the profile, in an effort to protect the
formation from vandalism and the ravages of the weather.

1986 — Vandalizing
the Old Man is classified as a crime under the state criminal mischief law. Under the law (RSA
634:2 VI) it is a misdemeanor for any person to vandalize, deface or destroy any part of
the Old Man, with a penalty of a fine of between $1,000 and $3,000 and restitution to the
state for any damage caused.[5]

1987 — Nielsen is named the official caretaker
of the Old Man by the state of New Hampshire.

1988 — A 12-mile (19 km) stretch of Interstate 93 opens
below Cannon Mountain. The $56 million project,
which took 30 years to build, was a compromise between the
government and environmentalists that sought to protect the
surrounding landscape.

1991 — David Nielsen, son of Niels Nielsen, becomes the
official caretaker of the Old Man.